The Pupil
by Gitana
Summary: Rory helps Dean with Spanish class.


**Characters/Pairing:** Lorelai, Dean, Lane and Rory - Rory/Dean  
**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine.  
**Word Count:** 1, 1619  
**Rating/Genre: **PG13 - Romance  
**Summary:** Rory helps Dean with Spanish class.

* * *

He's already sitting on the steps of the school when she arrives. Rory sits beside him with her backpack still hooked to her shoulders. Dean looks unusually gloomy which Rory finds alarming. He barely smiles when she kisses him.

"What's wrong?" Rory asks quietly.

"Nothing. How was your day? You look pretty."

Rory is has a side ponytail sliding down her right shoulder. She always wanted to wear one but thought she looked too much like a 12 year old as it was.

"Thank you. I finally gave in to my secret desire to look just like I would have if this were 1986."

"I like it," Dean says, twirling a few strands of hair between his thumb and index finger. "It fits you."

"I was considerate enough to leave out the ripped jeans and shoulder pads."

Rory waits for his comeback. He smiles and stays quiet.

"Dean?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

He looked down and took a deep breath.

"Well, I got a bad grade."

Rory pouts on his behalf and rubs his back for comfort.

"I'm sorry. What subject?"

"Spanish."

"Oh." Rory is taken by surprise. "I didn't know you took Spanish."

"I didn't, but we were talking last week and I thought having a few language courses would help with college applications, I figured I could swap shop for Spanish since I already know about cars. Now I can't switch them back, I don't know what I'm going to do."

"I'm sure you can make it up. I'll help you, I speak some Spanish. Bad grades are horrible but this is doable, I promise. Can you ask for a make-up?"

"I don't think so. They were clear about me going in late and having to manage the work. We're quizzed on Fridays, no make-ups."

"I see... I'll help you study and at the same time I'll practice my Spanish, we both win. Now, smile, please, I miss it."

Dean smiles. Rory raises her shoulders with pleasure. "You're amazing, but you have studying of your own."

"You still good at Calculus?"

"Yeah..."

"Then you can help me with a few of the problems and I'll quiz you on Spanish, it's a trade."

"Deal!" Dean's entire face lit up.

"I spy dimples, that's more like it."

Lorelai, Dean, Lane and Rory sit around the kitchen table, twisting their tongues trying to pronounce the words written on the handout.

"What's that again?"

"It means butter," Rory answers.

"This can't be a real language, nobody speaks like that. It's too hard!" Lorelai squints dramatically looking over the list.

"Not if you grow up speaking it," Lane says. "I can't believe I understand Korean, let alone speak some."

"Look at number two, that can't be a real word."

"Number two is actually a very beautiful word, it means conversation between many people," Rory explains.

"And how do you pronounce it?"

"Coloquio. Just try to pin your tongue to your palate when you say the first syllable, col-, it sounds like call."

Lorelai, Lane and Dean follow Rory's instructions.

"Okay. Now, the next syllable is simply o, sounds like oh. Let it linger a little bit. Good, now try the rest of the word, quio, it sounds like key-oh."

Lane is very focused; she has her tongue on her palate, trying to get the word out smoothly, "call-oh-kiiiio."

"You lingered on the i, Lane, but that was impressive for a first try."

"I'm with Lorelai now, this is hard. Sorry, Dean." Lane shakes her head and proceeds to stuff her hand in the cold, rubbery popcorn.

"Don't apologize, you're doing better than me."

"That's because you're not even trying, mister," Lorelai waves an accusatory finger in Dean's direction.

"I know..." Dean huffs.

"You're between friends, Dean. Feel free to make a fool of yourself," Lane mocks.

"Oh, come on, you can do this!" Rory instantly recognizes the fake, sweeping encouragement in Lorelai's tone. Lorelai uses it on her every time Rory has to write a poem for class. Oh, it's brilliant, babe! she'd declare. It's always brilliant, never good or great.

"Dean, you're going to be great. I mean, you have three days to learn this. Are they all oral quizzes?"

"There's going to be five oral quizzes, this is the first one."

"Bummer," Lane says, still munching on popcorn.

"So, word number 3 is Sol, it means-"

"Sun. That's the easiest one," Dean says. "It's pronounced Sol, like salt without the t."

"That was perfect!" Rory cheers.

"Thanks, but, like I said, it's the easiest one." Dean's modesty always tickled Rory, no exception here. She flashed him a smile adorned by pink cheeks. It means she's both happy and proud. Dean knows the full rainbow of the colors of her face, what each means, and exactly what to do to get a specific shade.

"What's the next easiest one? We'll do it on a difficulty scale instead, easiest to toughest."

"That one looks short and easy," Lane points to number 18.

"Dedos," Rory reads from the list.

"Fingers," Dean answers. "It's pronounced deh-does."

"Perfect again," Rory smiles; pink cheeks again. Dean grins privately. _Score!_

"Alright, Dean!" Lane pats him on the arm, "You're ready to be president of Spain, I'll say."

"Ha, right! Sun and fingers, what else would I need?"

"Probably a few verbs then hell, you'll be teaching them."

"I always wanted to go to Spain," Lorelai drifts off, "and walk down the street in a pretty sun dress and sandals, meet some incredibly beautiful Spanish man with dark hair and dark eyes, dance all night long..."

"Sounds nice," Lane adds.

Lorelai nods enthusiastically.

"Spanish men are hot."

"I hear you, sister. Why do you think I have CDs from Spanish bands I can't understand? The voices, the accents."

"I may have to borrow _those_."

"This is not helping," Rory manages to get a word in.

Fearing they wouldn't get any studying done, Rory and Dean decided to move their session to Dean's house the next day, each armed with the list of taunting words.

"Professor Gilmore?"

"Heh, cute."

"I think we're done."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Number 9?"

"Hmm, it means wall and it's pronounced pah-rehd."

"Good, but remember to roll your R's hard enough. Number 15?"

"Uhh," Dean grits his teeth, "it's a...it means game, it's pronounced...hm, hu-go?"

"Hu-go would be juice, game has an e, pronounced eh, hu-ehh-go."

"Okay, hu-ehhhh-go."

Rory laughs.

"Yup. Number 10?"

Dean gets up from the floor to stretch. They've been sitting there for the least three hours.

"Rory, let's take a break, please. We'll practice again tomorrow."

"You work tomorrow."

"I'll make time. Get up, stretch, you'll get blue veins from poor circulation if you stay like that for one more minute."

Dean helps Rory up.

"I'm up."

"Good. Extend your arms, now lift your left foot, keep it in the air for ten seconds, then the other."

"I feel silly."

"I'll help you."

Dean softly squeezes Rory's face between his hands to kiss her; Rory pushes herself up on the tips of her toes to reach him better. Dean breaks the kiss to laugh.

"Kissing you is always good exercise," Rory smiles.

Rory starts kissing him again, but her back hurts from sitting on the floor for so long.

"Not when you're hurting. Lie down."

Dean waits until she calls him to join her. His bed, her rules.

"Uh, Dean? Are you going to kiss me or not?"

"Bossy."

"Needy."

Dean smirks. "What do you need?" Slight fuchsia swept her cheeks, as expected.

Once again Dean waits for her on the steps of Stars Hollow High.

"So?"

Dean shows her a white sheet of paper with a big red A+. Bright red cheeks - she's loving it. Dean stands up to hug her, thanking her between kisses. He looks down for a moment and notices Rory is wearing knee high white socks.

"What's with the socks?"

"Mid 90s fashion. I was 11 when it happened, now I can't say I never did it."

"Six years too late, girlfriend."

"It's my prerogative, boyfriend."

"That's from the 80s."

"Sorry. Hold over from last week."

"So?" Lorelai asks.

"A+" Dean answers.

"YES! Friday night, good grades, this calls for a pizza."

"Yes it does. I need to change out of this uniform. I'll be right back."

"Okay, hun."

Again Lorelai turns to face Dean.

"Heyyy... Good job, kid."

"Thank you. Couldn't have done it without Rory."

"I'm sure you could have."

"Maybe, but it wouldn't have been as fun."

"You got a point there. Plus, your girlfriend being a nerd can only be fun when you're kind of a nerd too."

"Not a nerd."

"So you say."

"Nah. Not even."

Lorelai smirks.

"I'm going home to change. Please tell Rory I'll be back in time for the pizza."

"Sure thing."

Rory is taking off her school jacket when she notices a small, folded piece of paper sticking out of one of her pockets. It's a handwritten note Dean managed to slip inside one of her pockets on the way home. Rory is always amazed at how he's able to do it without her noticing even when she's looking and waiting for it. Magic fingers, she thinks.

Gracias. Te Amo. (Thank you. I love you.)

Dean takes off his shoes and wonders if Rory found his note already. Dean opens his backpack to look for his cellphone, and finds a folded piece of paper.

Yo te amo mas aun. (I love you even more.)

Dean smiles widely, his cheeks a little flushed from the pleasant surprise. Sometimes he forgets that as well as he knows Rory she knows him just as well. His phone rings.

"You got me," he says.

"Promise?" she asks.

The End.


End file.
